Clock

ABSTRACT

An advertising display receiving surface, one side of which has an overlay comprising an advertising insert sheet that is readily removable and replaceable. An electronic clock motor is on the other side of the surface. The display receiving surface acts also as the face of the clock, but lacks the dial. The advertising display sheet contains the dial and is transparent at the portion of the display sheet that overlays the area swept by the clock hands. The display insert is readily replaceable as when the advertising message has served its purpose or when it becomes dirty. The dial portion of the advertising display insert is off center with respect to the advertising display area of the insert sheet. This permits mounting of the advertising display with any one of its sides uppermost.

United States Patent [191 Swartz June 18, 1974 CLOCK Primary Examiner-Rfihagrd B. wilkiysol? I Assistant Examiner it Simmons ac mon [76] Inventor gg g ig g Attorney, Agent, or Firm-M0rris Spector 60614 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Dec. 19, 1972 1 An advertising display receiving surface, one side of PP 316,494 which has an overlay comprising an advertising insert sheet that is readily removable and replaceable. An 52 us. Cl. 58/50 R 58/148 electronic eleek meter is the other Side of the [51 int. Cl. .G04 b 19/30 face The display receiving Surface acts else as the f I R R face Of the ClOCk, but lacks the The advertising 58/127 R 4 display sheet contains the dial and is transparent at the portion of the display sheet that overlays the area [56] References Cited swept by the clock hands. The display insert is readily replaceable as when the advertising message has UNITED STATES PATENTS served its purpose or when it becomes dirty. The dial 2,082,612 6/1937 Bourqum 58/ 149 X portion f the advertising display insert i ff center with respect to the advertising display area of the insert sheet. This permits mounting of the advertising display with any one of its sides uppermost.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures CLOCK OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to clocks that include advertising material and are used primarily in connection with such advertising.

Electric clocks have a useful life expectancy measured in years; whereas, advertising displays require frequent change. An advertisement that is viewed over and over again by the same people for long periods of time often ceases to attract attention. Where it does receive such attention, the repetition may become harmful. It is thus normally important to be able to change the advertising appearance of an advertising clock, thereby revitalizing it so that the advertising message is no longer disregarded.

By the present invention, the face of the clock is provided with means for readily receiving an advertising sheet that can be easily and cheaply replaced when its advertising function has diminished. This sheet has imprinted or otherwise formed thereon, the digits of the clock to constitute the clock dial, and it is transparent where it overlays the path of the hands of the clock. By this arrangement, the unit that includes the clock can be mounted in any of a number of changed positions by incorporating corresponding changes in the printing of the digits on the part of the sheet that constitutes the clock dial. Thus, the clock body may be turned, and by providing an appropriate advertising insert that carries the twelve o'clock point on the clock appropriately placed, there is, in effect, a new clock again performing its advertising function.

In accordance with the present invention, the insert that carries the clock face, also carries the advertising, thus making it difficult for one to remove the advertising and retain the functional utility of the clock.

THE DRAWINGS The accompanying sheet of drawings illustrates the preferred embodiments of the invention in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an advertising display embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a back view of the display;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are front views showing alternate inserts that require that the display be mounted with different respective sides thereof uppermost.

Reference may now be had more particularly to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout.

I DESCRIPTION An advertising display 1 shown for illustrative purposes comprising essentially a sheet metal rectangular box having transverse sides 2-3, longitudinal sides 4-5, and a bottom 6, and an open top that is closed by a cover sheet 28. The bottom of the box has an opening 10 therein for permitting access to the box, which opening is closed by a plate 12 that is removably held in place, in this instance by three screws 13. Removal of the plate permits access to the interior of the box.

2 Within the box and in a position accessible through the opening 10 is mounted a source of illumination 15 which may comprise one or more electric light bulbs, in this instance a tubular fluorescent light bulb.

An electric clock motor 20 is mounted in the box, in this instance secured to the bottom thereof, the clock motor includes the usual concentric clock hand drive shafts 21 that drive an hour hand 22 and a minute hand 23.

The top of the box-like unit is permanently closed by the cover 28 that constitutes a display receiving surface. The cover 28 has peripheral flanges that surround the side walls 2, 3, 4 and 5 and are secured to those sides in any desired manner, as by screws 34. The cover 28 has a circular depression 29 formed therein terminating in a flat face 30 having a hole 31 through which the clock drive shafts 21 extend freely. The clock hands 22 and 23 move in the pocket 29.

The display receiving cover has means for receiving and holding a removable advertising display sheet 40. These may be of any form. In this instance, they comprise elastic plastic strips 37-37 secured to and extending lengthwise along the upper longitudinal edges of the cover. Each strip has a resilient upper lip or ledge 38 above the cover forming a narrow guideway into which the sheet 40 may be slid. In one instance the sheet 40 was about 0.007 inches thick and was held in place by the pressure exerting lip 38.

The display receiving cover in this instance is made of translucent plastic to permit the transmission of light from the source 15 therein. The cover preferably contains no clock dial; that is, there are no time digit indications thereon surrounding the center clock hand drive shafts 21.

The advertising insert sheet 40 has a transparent window 45 through which the clock hands may be seen. The window 45 in this instance is shown as circular. It may be oval or rectangular or any other shape usual in clock faces. When the sheet 40 is properly inserted in the trackways formed by the strips 37 and the cover 28, the window 45 is centered over the clock drive shaft. The sheet 40 has the usual clock hour markings and minute markings imprinted thereon to constitute the dial of a clock. It also has a large area 46 for receiving the advertising message 47. The advertising message may consist of printed matter comprising words or pictures or combinations thereof. The message is printed thereon and may, if desired, be embossed to present the desired eye appeal. It may be a transparent or translucent sheet or, if desired, may even be an opaque sheet having a transparent window 45 therein.

Advertising display clocks are generally not well taken care of. They become dirty and unattractive. In the present invention, by a mere flip of the hand, the advertising insert 40 which may have become quite dirty, can be removed and replaced by a new sheet which may contain the same or different advertising material having a transparent clock face and clock dial which will be centered with respect to the clock drive shafts 21. In order to make the clock look different when a new sheet 40 has been inserted, clock dial windows 45 on different sheets may have different shapes, circular, oval, rectangular, square, diamond, etc. The relation of the window 45 with respect to the printed matter may be altered as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9. In each instance, the advertising insert 40 is positioned with the transparent window 45 centered with respect to the clock drive shaft 21. When the sheet of FIG. 6 is used, the unit is mounted in the position illustrated in FIG. 1. When the sheets of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are used, the unit is mounted with the sides 3, 4 and 2 thereof, respectively uppermost. To facilitate such various mountings, the back or bottom side 6 is provided with four key-slot mounting holes 50, 51, 52 and 53, respectively. Hang-up hooks can be inserted in any two adjacent mounting holes for mounting the unit, with any one of the four sides thereof uppermost. The hooks are retained in position by the key-slots in the mounting holes.

ln the preferred arrangement, the display receiving cover sheet 28 carries no clock numbers. These appear only on the advertising insert sheets. lf an'insert sheet 40 is removed another sheet must be inserted. Thus, the advertising message always appears in connection with the use of the clock.

The insert sheet 40 covers substantially the entire face of the unit. Whenever a new insert sheet is provided, the user of the clock, in effect, gets a new clock. The new clock may appear quite different from the old clock because different mountings are permitted as aboveset forth and because different dial faces are provided on the different advertising insert sheets 40.

What is considered new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A clock comprising an open box-like body having a display receiving cover closing the body, a clock motor in the body and clock hands outside of the body and driven by the motor, an advertising insert sheet overlaying the display receiving cover, said body having means for receiving and releasably holding said advertising insert sheet that overlays the display receiving cover, the insert sheet and the cover being of substantially the same area with one coextensive with and overlaying the other, the portion of the insert sheet that overlays the path of sweep of the clock hands being transparent to permit observation of the clock hands therethrough, and the insert sheet having a clock dial for cooperation 'with said clock hands.

2. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the transparent portion of the insert is offset from the center of the insert and the body is non-circular in shape and there is provided means for mounting the bodywith any of a number of different parts thereof uppermost.

3. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the transparent portion of the insert is offset from the center of the insert and the body is of a polygon shape and there is provided means for mounting the body with different selected ones of the sides uppermost.

4. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the cover is translucent.

5. A combination according to claim 4 wherein the body has illuminating means therein.

6. A combination according to claim 5 wherein the advertising portions of the insert include areas of differing opacity constituting the advertisement.

7. A clock comprising a body having a cover, a clock motor in the body and clock hands outside of the body and driven by the motor, an advertising insert sheet that overlays substantially the entire cover, said body having means for receiving and releasably holding the insert sheet, the portion of the insert sheet that overlays the path of sweep of the clock hands being transparent to permit observation of the clock hands, and the insert sheet having a clock dial thereon for cooperation with said hands, said cover being translucent, and said body having illuminating means therein, and said advertising portions of the insert sheet including areas of different opacity constituting the advertisement, said body having a depression therein that constitutes the face of the clock, the depression being off center with respect to the front of the body, and said body having means for mounting it with different parts thereof uppermost.

zg gg UNITED STATES l ATEN'I OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION -Patent No. 3,817,022 Dated J1me 7 William M. Swartz Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

F The name of the patentee, given as William N. Swartz i should be William M. Swartz.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of October 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 569 QERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. b 3 817 O22 Dated June 18 1974 Inventofls) William Swartz It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

l The name of the patentee, given as William N. Swartz, .1

should be William M. Swartz.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of' 'october 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIB SON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. A clock comprising an open box-like body having a display receiving cover closing the body, a clock motor in the body and clock hands outside of the body and driven by the motor, an advertising insert sheet overlaying the display receiving cover, said body having means for receiving and releasably holding said advertising insert sheet that overlays the display receiving cover, the insert sheet and the cover being of substantially the same area with one coextensive with and overlaying the other, the portion of the insert sheet that overlays the path of sweep of the clock hands being transparent to permit observation of the clock hands therethrough, and the insert sheet having a clock dial for cooperation with said clock hands.
 2. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the transparent portion of the insert is offset from the center of the insert and the body is non-circular in shape and there is provided means for mounting the body with any of a number of different parts thereof uppermost.
 3. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the transparent portion of the insert is offset from the center of the insert and the body is of a polygon shape and there is provided means for mounting the body with different selected ones of the sides uppermost.
 4. A combination according to claim 1 wherein the cover is translucent.
 5. A combination according to claim 4 wherein the body has illuminating means therein.
 6. A combination according to claim 5 wherein the advertising portions of the insert include areas of differing opacity constituting the advertisement.
 7. A clock comprising a body having a cover, a clock motor in the body and clock hands outside of the body and driven by the motor, an advertising insert sheet that overlays substantially the entire cover, said body having means for receiving and releasably holding the insert sheet, the portion of the insert sheet that overlays the path of sweep of the clock hands being transparent to permit observation of the clock hands, and the insert sheet having a clock dial thereon for cooperation with said hands, said cover being translucent, and said body having illuminating means therein, and said advertising portions of the insert sheet including areas of different opacity constituting the advertisement, said body having a depression therein that constitutes the face of the clock, the depression being off center with respect to the front of the body, and said body having means for mounting it with different parts thereof uppermost. 